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Pyramus and Thisbe

(Encyclopedia)Pyramus and Thisbe pĭrˈəməs, thĭzˈbē [key], in classical mythology, youth and maiden of Babylon, whose parents opposed their marriage. Their homes adjoined, and they conversed through a crevice...

Olson, Charles

(Encyclopedia)Olson, Charles, 1910–70, American critic and poet, b. Worcester, Mass., grad. Harvard (B.A., 1932; M.A., 1933). His literary reputation was established with Call Me Ishmael (1947), a study of the in...

Hiero I

(Encyclopedia)Hiero I hīˈərō [key], 5th cent. b.c., Greek Sicilian ruler, tyrant of Syracuse (478–467 b.c.). He succeeded his brother Gelon. A noted patron of literature, Hiero had Simonides, Pindar, and Aesc...

sibyl

(Encyclopedia)sibyl sĭbˈĭl [key], in classical mythology and religion, prophetess. There were said to be as many as 10 sibyls, variously located and represented. The most famous was the Cumaean sibyl, described ...

Aristoxenus of Tarentum

(Encyclopedia)Aristoxenus of Tarentum ărĭstŏkˈsənəs, tərĕnˈtəm [key], fl. 4th cent. b.c., pupil of Aristotle. He marks a turning point in Greek musical theory by being the first to base theory on analysis...

Appian

(Encyclopedia)Appian ăpˈēən [key], fl. 2d cent., Roman historian. He was a Greek, born in Alexandria. He held various offices in Alexandria, was an advocate in Rome, and then imperial procurator in Egypt. His h...

Diomedes

(Encyclopedia)Diomedes dīˌōmēˈdēz [key], in Greek legend. 1 Son of Tydeus, he was one of the principal Greek warriors in the Trojan War. Previously he had avenged his father's death in the expedition of the E...

Hellenism

(Encyclopedia)Hellenism, the culture, ideals, and pattern of life of ancient Greece in classical times. It usually means primarily the culture of Athens and the related cities during the Age of Pericles. The term i...

A

(Encyclopedia)A, first letter of the alphabet. A is a usual symbol for a low central vowel, as in father; the English long a (ā) is pronounced as a diphthong of ĕ and y. The corresponding letter of the Greek alph...

Lovecraft, H. P.

(Encyclopedia)Lovecraft, H. P. (Howard Phillips Lovecraft), 1890–1937, American writer, b. Providence, R.I. A master of Gothic horror, fantasy, and science fiction of a most rococo variety, he is particularly not...
 

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